Thursday evening February 4

Preparation

Opening response

O God, make speed to save us.O Lord, make haste to help us.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:to you be praise and glory for ever.As darkness falls you renew your promiseto reveal among us the light of your presence.By the light of Christ, your living Word,dispel the darkness of our heartsthat we may walk as children of lightand sing your praise throughout the world.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit:Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

God of All Power, and Truth, and Grace

Charles Wesley

God of all power, and truth, and grace,Which shall from age to age endure,Whose word, when heaven and earth shall pass,Remains and stands for ever sure.

That I thy mercy may proclaim,That all mankind thy truth may see,Hallow thy great and glorious name,And perfect holiness in me.

Purge me from every sinful blot;My idols all be cast aside;Cleanse me from every sinful thought,From all the filth of self and pride.

Give me a new, a perfect heart,From doubt, and fear, and sorrow free;The mind which was in Christ impart,And let my spirit cleave to thee.

Confession of sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:The first commandment is this:‘Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God,in our sin we have avoided your call.Our love for you is like a morning cloud,like the dew that goes away early.Have mercy on us;deliver us from judgment;bind up our wounds and revive us;in Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May almighty God,who sent his Son into the world to save sinners,bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 18

Refrain:The Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

He said: I love you, Lord, my strength.The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer.My God is my rock—I take refuge in him!— he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety.Because he is praiseworthy, I cried out to the Lord, and I was saved from my enemies.Death’s cords were wrapped around me; rivers of wickedness terrified me.The cords of the grave surrounded me; death’s traps held me tight.In my distress I cried out to the Lord; I called to my God for help.God heard my voice from his temple; I called to him for help, and my call reached his ears.The earth rocked and shook; the bases of the mountains trembled and reeled because of God’s anger.Smoke went up from God’s nostrils; out of his mouth came a devouring fire; flaming coals blazed out in front of him!God parted the skies and came down; thick darkness was beneath his feet.God mounted the heavenly creatures and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.God made darkness cloak him; his covering was dark water and dense cloud.God’s clouds went ahead of the brightness before him; hail and coals of fire went too.The Lord thundered in heaven; the Most High made his voice heard with hail and coals of fire.God shot his arrows, scattering the enemy; he sent the lightning and threw them into confusion.The seabeds were exposed; the earth’s foundations were laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the angry blast of air coming from your nostrils.From on high God reached down and grabbed me; he took me out of all that water.God saved me from my powerful enemy, saved me from my foes, who were too much for me.They came at me on the very day of my distress, but the Lord was my support.He brought me out to wide-open spaces; he pulled me out safe because he is pleased with me.The Lord rewarded me for my righteousness; he restored me because my hands are clean, because I have kept the Lord’s ways. I haven’t acted wickedly against my God.All his rules are right in front of me; I haven’t turned away from any of his laws.I have lived with integrity before him; I’ve kept myself from wrongdoing.And so the Lord restored me for my righteousness because my hands are clean in his eyes.You deal faithfully with the faithful; you show integrity toward the one who has integrity.You are pure toward the pure, but toward the crooked, you are tricky.You are the one who saves people who suffer and brings down those with proud eyes.You are the one who lights my lamp— the Lord my God illumines my darkness.With you I can charge into battle; with my God I can leap over a wall.God! His way is perfect; the Lord’s word is tried and true.He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Now really, who is divine except the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?Only God! The God who equips me with strength and makes my way perfect, who makes my step as sure as the deer’s, who lets me stand securely on the heights, who trains my hands for war so my arms can bend a bronze bow.You’ve given me the shield of your salvation; your strong hand has supported me; your help has made me great.You’ve let me walk fast and safe, without even twisting an ankle.I chased my enemies and caught them! I didn’t come home until I finished them off.I struck them down; they couldn’t get up again; they fell under my feet.You equipped me with strength for war; you brought my adversaries down underneath me.You made my enemies turn tail from me; I destroyed my foes.They cried for help, but there was no one to save them. They cried for help to the Lord, but he wouldn’t answer them.I crushed them like dust blown away by the wind; I threw them out like mud dumped in the streets.You delivered me from struggles with many people; you appointed me the leader of many nations. Strangers come to serve me.After hearing about me, they obey me; foreigners grovel before me.Foreigners lose their nerve; they come trembling out of their fortresses.The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock! Let the God of my salvation be lifted high!This is the God who avenges on my behalf, who subdues people before me, who delivers me from my enemies.Yes, you lifted me high above my adversaries; you delivered me from violent people. That’s why I thank you, Lord, in the presence of the nations. That’s why I sing praises to your name.You are the one who gives great victories to your king, who shows faithful love to your anointed one— to David and to his descendants forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:The Lord my God shall make my darkness to be bright.

Psalm prayer

From your royal throne, O God, you sent your living Wordto pierce the gloom of oppression;so, in our souls’ night,come with your saving helpand penetrate our darkness with therays of your gloryin Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament readingHosea 11:12-12:14

Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with faithless acts; but Judah still walks with God, and is faithful to the holy one.

Ephraim herds the wind, and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply lies and violence; they make a treaty with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.The Lord has a charge against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways, and respond to him according to his deeds.From the womb he tried to be the oldest of twin brothers; as an adult he struggled with God.He struggled with the messenger and survived; he wept and sought his favor; he met him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.The Lord God of heavenly forces, the Lord is his name!But you! Return to your God with faithful love and justice, and wait continually for your God.He is a merchant; the means to cheat are in his hands; he loves to take advantage of others.Ephraim has said, “I’m rich, I’ve gained wealth for myself; in all of my gain no offense has been found in me that would be sin.”I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in former days.I spoke to the prophets; and I multiplied visions, and through them I uttered parables.In Gilead there is wickedness; they will surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars will be like piles of stones on the rows of the field.Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept watch over livestock.By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.Ephraim has given bitter offense; so the Lord will bring his crimes down on him and pay him back for his wrongdoing.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading1 Corinthians 14:20-40

Brothers and sisters, don’t be like children in the way you think. Well, be babies when it comes to evil, but be adults in your thinking. In the Law it is written: I will speak to this people with foreign languages and foreigners’ lips, but they will not even listen to me this way, says the Lord. So then, tongues are a sign for those who don’t believe, not for those who believe. But prophecy is a sign for believers, not for those who don’t believe. So suppose that the whole church is meeting and everyone is speaking in tongues. If people come in who are outsiders or unbelievers, won’t they say that you are out of your minds? But if everyone is prophesying when an unbeliever or outsider comes in, they are tested by all and called to account by all. The secrets of their hearts are brought to light. When that happens, they will fall on their faces and worship God, proclaiming out loud that truly God is among you!

What is the outcome of this, brothers and sisters? When you meet together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All these things must be done to build up the church. If some speak in a tongue, then let two or at most three speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. However, if there is no interpreter, then they should keep quiet in the meeting. They should speak privately to themselves and to God. In the case of prophets, let two or three speak and have the rest evaluate what is said. And if some revelation comes to someone else who is sitting down, the first one should be quiet. You can all prophesy one at a time so that everyone can learn and be encouraged. The spirits of prophets are under the control of the prophets. God isn’t a God of disorder but of peace. Like in all the churches of God’s people, the women should be quiet during the meeting. They are not allowed to talk. Instead, they need to get under control, just as the Law says. If they want to learn something, they should ask their husbands at home. It is disgraceful for a woman to talk during the meeting.

Did the word of God originate with you? Has it come only to you? If anyone thinks that they are prophets or “spiritual people,” then let them recognize that what I’m writing to you is the Lord’s command. If someone doesn’t recognize this, they aren’t recognized. So then, brothers and sisters, use your ambition to try to get the gift of prophecy, but don’t prevent speaking in tongues. Everything should be done with dignity and in proper order.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain: You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favoredbecause the mighty one has done great things for me.Holy is his name.He shows mercy to everyone,from one generation to the next,who honors him as God.He has shown strength with his arm.He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.He has pulled the powerful down from their thronesand lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away empty-handed.He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.

Brief silence

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.Intercessions are offeredfor peacefor individuals and their needs

Response

Lord, in your mercyhear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,by whose grace alone we are accepted and called to your service:strengthen us by your Holy Spiritand make us worthy of our calling;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,and the love of God,and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,be with us all evermore.Amen.